A lack of affordable childcare in Fingal has become a massive issue for the region and must be tackled, according to councillors who says that working families in the county are effectively paying ‘a second mortgage’ in childcare fees.
Cllr Paul Mulville (NP) and Cllr Barry Martin (Ind) raised the issue at the Swords/Balbriggan Area Committee with Cllr Martin saying that childcare in Ireland was ‘grossly underfunded’ and it was an issue that came up again and again as he canvassed door-to-door in the General Election, across Fingal. Cllr Martin said that childcare fees in the region amounted to up to 40% of a household’s income and was ‘like a second mortgage’. He said that many parents were ‘trapped’ by childcare costs and could not afford to go back to work.
The Independents4Change councillor said there was also an issue with poor pay among childcare workers. He said he knew people with degrees that were working in the sector for €18,000 a year.
Cllr Philip Lynam (SF) backed Cllr Martin’s call for action on the issue and told his fellow councillors on the committee of one local case he knew of, where a single mother with a good job in a bank was forced to go back and live with her parents because her rent amounted to €1,000 a month and childcare costs amounted to €800. He said it was a problem that required the Government to take action but councillors needed to highlight the issue as much as possible.
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